Empolyee relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Empolyee relations - Essay Example However, as the marketplace became sophisticated and costs continue to increase, which had posed some threat to the companys operations, Modern Foods Limited had to check its strategy and revise its old policies in order to adapt to change. Some of these policies include those of human resource functions. In order to compete during these harsher times, the company must turn to its employees as a source of competitive advantage in the process. According to the case, Modern Foods Limited started as a small family firm that sold sausages and other poultry products in East Anglia. As the company had evolved and was acquired by the holding company IVECTO, no major changes in terms of the companys operations had been made in terms of incorporating technology in the companys human resource management function. According to the companys history, this could be traced back to IVECTOs passive handling of the affairs of the company that it had acquired. Although Modern Foods Limited had been acquired by this holding company, IVECTO was not active in terms of management. This meant that the old practices and processes in the old company, as long as it was making IVECTO some profits in terms of targets would remain unchanged, or at least major changes were not incorporated. Without any driving force behind the change and incorporation of technology in the human resource function of Modern Foods Limited, as stated in the case, the Human Resource function among sites were not linked and integrated into one corporate network to facilitate the communications between production units. This could be largely due to the companys management history which was not affected by the acquisition process. In assessing the case, it can be seen that the company had faced relatively little market pressure in the past, as it was able to expand smoothly to major markets within the UK and some other markets in Europe. Because market pressure was low, there was little incentive for the company to

Change and Culture Case Study I Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Change and Culture I - Case Study Example Hence it can be safely said that for the management of a newly consolidated firm, the single most important issue that requires the utmost attention is the development of a strategy that ensures that the employees of the firms can smoothly transit between the pre and the post merger periods. This essay discusses the impacts that a merger has had on the employees of a healthcare organization and the strategic decision-making on part of the management of the organization which allowed the respective workforces to develop a system of trust and respect for each other. The essay also discusses the way mergers can effect the business processes and structures of firms and how management can deal with these issues in a way which ensures that the organizational values and culture is kept intact. According to Camara& Renjen (2004), studies by researchers and analysts has confirmed that mergers are as likely to destroy as to create shareholder value. A major cause for this is that mergers bring together two companies which had previously been working according to different policies, had entirely different business procedures and had unique cultures. Due to this, the differences that arise between the employees, as well as the changed rules and procedures seemingly create an atmosphere of uncertainty which is most commonly viewed by the employees as a direct threat. The organization in whose context we will discuss this issue further is a medical centre which has been active in the healthcare sector for the past 25 years. Having a reputation for providing excellent services , it is one of the leading hospitals in the country and according to the reports, a total of 22,080 inpatients and 230,000 outpatients were served in the last fiscal year. Before the said merger took place, the hospital, although extremely well-regarded, was working on a relatively smaller scale and housed 400 beds among which 58 were

Preventing STI on Juveniles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Preventing STI on Juveniles - Essay Example The effects associated with the acquisition of STIs are not only limited to medical and psychological aspects but have other devastating implications on the infected teenagers including the cost and sequelae of STIs. In order to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, a diverse range of barrier methods are available, such as condoms to ensure safety of both partners during coitus. In modern society, one of the major problems faced by the health care system is the prevention of sexually transmitted infections in juveniles (Steele et al 2005). Preventive Measures: Abstinence from sexual relations is one of the most efficacious means of reducing the risk of acquiring AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections. On the other hand, maintaining a mutual monogamous sexual relationship with an uninfected partner is another way of minimizing the risk of acquiring STIs through sexual contact. The risk of infection with HIV and other STIs can also be significantly reduced by usi ng barrier methods such as latex condoms or by using spermicides. In heterosexual partners, the prevalence of HIV infection is quite high. In accordance with a recent research, the percentage of heterosexual partners having HIV infection is as high as 11% and about 60% of HIV infected heterosexual partners’ exhibit seropositive results (McGlynn et al 2000). The need for Diverse Interventions: In order to reduce the initial acquisition, further transmission and sequelae of sexually transmitted infections, there is an urgent need to formulate and strictly implement a diverse range of interventions. Interventions such as fostering the use of condoms, development of new biomedical methods, school-college based educational programs and routine screening have simply not been able to cause a sharp decrease in the incidence of sexually transmitted infections in sexually active young individuals. It is a fact that these interventions have significantly increased the awareness about ST Is but the rapid increase in the number of cases reported each year mirrors their inefficacy. The alarming rise in the number of teenagers having STIs reflects the failure of the government in the implementation of effective and diverse interventions at every level. Therefore, the need for drawing up and strictly enforcing effective projects for the prevention of STIs is the greatest now than ever before (Steele et al 2005). Design for Change in Practice: To ensure effective outcomes, it is a prerequisite for the interventions mentioned in this section to be implemented comprehensively and at different societal levels. The new design for change in practice will address the following areas of concern. The most effective way of sharply decreasing the percentage of new STI cases is to convey the importance of sexual abstinence to young individuals. The advent of new biomedical approaches, such as vaccines, has been assumed to provide easy and instant solution to the critical problem of rise in STIs in juveniles. However, it is quite unrealistic to believe that such approaches will provide fast and instant solution. The realistic approach is to couple these biomedical approaches with behavioral approaches in order to increase their effectiveness and efficacy. Thirdly, it is quite important to realize that teenagers need to be informed about how to properly use condoms during sexual intercourse. Unfortunately, a large number of community or school based programs and parent

PAYING FOR FAILURE AT AIG Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PAYING FOR FAILURE AT AIG - Essay Example 2. Yes, the decision of rewarding the executives was a wrong or a failure decision, as they were the ones that took the company to this stage. It was not necessary for AIG to retain those executive who were not doing well to the company. Instead of rewarding them, they should have been fired and the company should have recruited more qualified, able and committed staff that had the experience of corporate crisis management and could help company to come out of the danger zone. 3. Yes, had I been the president of AIG, I would have refused to pay bonuses to the current executive staff because they did not deserve it. Plus when the company is already incurring huge losses, rewarding them was a wrong decision to make. Moreover, rewards must always be given on the basis of performance and in this case, they did not perform well. Rewards are a sign of appreciation and encouragement for the employees. But rewarding employees when the company is already suffering huge losses is not the right policy as this would discourage others who have worked hard. In this case, the employees who are being rewarded are the ones who are responsible for the current losses of the company, and few are those who have already left the company thus that showed that they were not even loyal to the organization. 4. If I have received the bonus then I would have returned it because if I was one of those then I would know that I did not deserve to get a reward for doing nothing. I would have only accepted the reward after I could manage to get the company to come out of trouble, before that, I think I would have refused it. 5. Government should only use tax revenue to help boost the economy so that eventually it could help the common tax payers. But using that money unfairly is not just to the tax payers and economy itself. Investing money somewhere that will not directly produce any benefit to the masses is

U choose a topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

U choose a topic - Essay Example Advantages and Disadvantages of Specialization in U.S Firms Specialization is incorporating workers to do specific roles and tasks in their daily activities in a business establishment (Morroni 45). This is done with the aim of realizing maximum output hence maximum profits. There are various merits that may accompany specialized job designs if incorporated by United States of America Firms. Specialization saves a lot of time for both the business establishment and the workers. An employee does not waste time because they do not keep moving from one task to another since they are used to one process. As an employee continues to work on one process, they learn to perform their tasks faster, hence saving a lot of time. Specialization is also advantageous since firm will spend less in training. For example, if Firms such as General Motors incorporate specialization employees will be used to performing specific tasks hence they will perfect their skill requiring no training. On disadvant age that might face United State of America firms in the automobile industry is that it results in increased cost for the firms. The firm has to employ many workers to carry out the various specific duties in the business establishment which will result in the firms incurring a lot of operation costs hence reducing their profits. Specialization may also lead to employee demotivation hence reducing the firm’s income. ... is a long chain of command, and as the company grows so does management while a flat organization structure is where there are few levels of management where every level of management controls a huge group of workers (Jain p29). A tradition United States of America firm usually employs the tall organization structure. By analyzing the organization structure of automobile firms such as General Motors, one can see how traditional united States of America firm use tall organization structure. Management in such firms is designed in a way that there is a lot of hierarchies like in the military. There is superior management, which runs down vertically depending on the size of the firm. Characteristics that accompany this structure is that there is minimal relationship between the management of the firm and its workers. This causes problems in the company since employees are not able to relate freely with their supervisors. On the other hand, flat organization structure is applied in Japan ese firms. For example, Honda has put up a plant in Ohio U.S.A where t use non traditional methods of management where employees are allowed to question their managers or supervisors during their daily operations in the firm (384). This organization structure is beneficial to such companies since it allows for innovation since employees are free to do what is best for the company. This model allows for employee motivation of employees since they feel they are part of the organization since they relate to managers and supervisors as team leaders hence they do not have the fear that comes with a management style that represents authority. Culture and Relationship Coordination Japanese firms such as Toyota use relationship and relationship as a coordination mechanism to ensure that the firm

Investigatin a ski jump Essay Example for Free

Investigatin a ski jump Essay Aim:To investigate how the starting position of a ski jumper affects the horizontal distance travelled in the jump. I will not take air resistance, friction and other various type of energy lost into account, however in practical I have to keep in mind that they do exist and cause variation in my results. Introduction Ski jumping is a sport event that involves a steep ramp and a landing zone, where the skier has to travel as far as possible after leaving the ramp horizontally. When the skier is in motion in the air and the range it reaches is what I am investigating. This motion is called the projectile motion and the displacement, velocity and acceleration of the projectile are all vector quantities. Each of these can be placed into vertical and horizontal components. In my experiment, I will create a similar model of the ski jump using a plastic curtain rail as the slope and model the skier as a particle, in this case, a ball bearing. Diagram This is a diagram of the basic equipment setup This investigation has much room for expansion on the original above setup. The accuracy can be improved using a combination of more sensitive measuring equipment and a more accurate measuring setup. B 1. The friction between the ball and the curtain rail, along with the air resistance are neglible, therefore, will not be accounted for in this experiment. 2. The ball bearing is taken as a point, as the motion of a rolling ball differs from anything else. 3. Gravity does not affect the horizontal velocity Prediction/Hypothesis I have based my prediction on the calculated formula R=V(4hH). Ball Bearing Object that models skier as a particle Meter Ruler Will be used to measure the range (x) travelled by the ball and the height (h) of the starting position. Measurements recorded in metres. Set square To make sure the height obtained is perpendicular to the table G-Clamp This will clamp the curtain rail to the table Table Where the slope will be placed on and clamped to Sand Tray This will be placed on the floor in the spot where the ball will land, leaving its mark. Method Variables Controlled Variables Constants Launching position Height of table. Acceleration due to gravity Time of flight Mass of ball Velocity 1. Test all equipment to make sure there are no problems and also test the sensitivity of the sand tray. 2. Set up appartus as show in diagram. 3. Check all apparatus are set up correctly and clamps are tightened securely 4. Using the meter ruler mark the 1st height at which the ball will be dropped from. In my case, I am recording 8 different heights ranged 0. 20m 0. 55m. Each within a 0. 05m interval. 5. Using the set square against the height, the exact position of the ball is determined. 6. The ball is manually held in place at the desired height and released, allowing the ball to roll down the ramp and off the edge of the table, landing on the sand. 7. The distance from the edge of the table to the mark made in the sand is measured and then recoded. 8. This is process is then repeated untill all results have been collected. Safety Precautions There are few minor risks in doing this experiment, which with careful setting up and appropriate behaviour, can be avoided. These are: When bending down to record measurements of the range, it is possible to bas your head coming up. Simply be aware of your surroundings. Having a sand pit on the floor can prove to be an obstruction to passers-by and can be a hazard of tripping over. I will make sure there are no obstructions by the landing zone when in practise. The ball bearing is heavy enough to cause injury to anyone if hit by it. Keeping distance should prevent this. Data interpretation Alongside doing the experiment I will plot a graph. This will allow for any correlations to be spotted early on and then further predictions to be made. It will also allow the investigattion of anomalies. Therefore drawing a graph alongside the experiment allows for greater scientific accuracy and better end results. Sensitivity The sensitivity of this experiment is concerned with by the accuracy of the equipment available. For example, a much more accurate measuring device can be used to distinguish to an accuracy of i 0. 1mm, but the ruler markings are only accurate themselves to i 1mm. Therefore, this creates a small error and show that to get the best out of the results, the most accurate equipment should be used in all situations. Accuracy. The accuracy of this experiment can be improved in a number of ways: When reading the ruler the eye must be at the same level as the object, otherwise an incorrect value will be seen. The range measuring ruler must measure from the point the ball leaves the ramp, which in this case is the edge of the table. This means that it must be accurately aligned under the table, this can be achieved using a plumb line. It is facing directly downwards, allowing the ruler to be placed directly under the point at which the ball leaves the ramp. There may be a small error in the position of the plumbline of about i 2mm. The sand in which the ball drops into may be uneven and the mark made when the ball strikes the sand may prove to be difficult to measure precisely. A travelling microscope could be used to measure the precise impact with the sand. But considering the level of accuracy used throughout the rest of the experiment, this would be an inefficient method. Results Height h/cm Height Distance x/cm Distance xi /cmi xmean H/m /cm2 1st 2nd 3rd Mean 1st 2nd 3rd Mean 1st 2nd 3rd. There were no anomalous results recorded in this experiment Error in distance x To calculate the positive error in x, the Xmean value is taken away from the Xmax value. To calculate the negative error in x, the Xmiin value is taken away from the Xmean value. Distance xi /cmi xmean xmax xmin Positive Error Negative Error Analysis From looking at the graphs, a positive correlation between the squared value of the range and the height the ball is dropped from can be seen, although points vary from the line of best fit. The results prove that the equation is correct and that the range of a ball does depend mostly on the height it is dropped from and the height the ball leaves the ramp. The formula (Ri =4Hh) states that an increase in the drop height, h, increases the range of the ball. The results have proved this and my prediction to be correct. However, the percentage at which the graphs agree to this equation is: H = 92cm 4H = 368cm (expected) Gradient of distancei graph = 192. 3 (experimental) Expected gradient = 368 192. 3 x 100% = 52. 3% agreement. 368 Conclusion In conclusion the experiment occurs the following way: The ball is released with high gravitational potential energy as it rolls down the slope, this energy is converted into kinetic energy, the higher the drop height, the longer the ball is travelling down the slope, so more energy can be transferred giving more kinetic energy and hence more speed when the ball leaves the ramp. From the results it is also seen that there are other factors that affect the range as the gradient was smaller than expected. The equation is correct, but the only part that could affect the results in this way was the assumption that all energy was transferred. The transfer is likely to be less efficient than assumed, 100% energy transfer from potential energy to kinetic energy is extremely unlikely. The energy can be lost in a variety of ways which are the limitations. Limitations Air resistance is an important limiting factor as it would have the most affect on the results. This was not counted for when doing the experiment and therefore has some affect on the results. As the ball moves through the air, the air itself is putting up a resistance against the ball, lowering its speed, and its distance travelled. Air resistance is dependant on the size of the object, as the larger the object the more air it has to push to the side. It also depends upon the speed at which the object is travelling, as an object travelling at faster speeds has to push aside more air in the same time. This effect can be used to explain the slight curvature at the top of the graph. This is because the ball is travelling at higher speeds (because it is being dropped from greater heights), with more air resistance acting upon it due to the higher speeds, causing it to cover less distance. Evaluation The trend of the graph 2 is a very clear with a positve correlation. There can be three different ranges of the line of best fit but I have only drawn the most obvious one. The 1st line of best fit can be drawn from the origin through the top ends of the error bars, whereas the 2nd can be drawn through the bottom ends of the error bars. However, due to the error bars being so small, it will be very difficult to show these 3 lines together. The accuracy and sensitivity of the apparatus leaves a minor error in the results giving a range of different values for that particular result. Ie. At a height of 5cm, the mean result was 31. 33cm. However this can actually be smaller or bigger than this value considering the errors in apparatus. The position of the plumbline to mark the the edge of the table will have an estimated i 2mm, having to join 2 meter rulers together will have an estimated i 1mm and judging the landing position of the ball will also have a i2mm effect on the results. In total the range of values for the results will be i 5mm. Therefor the range of values for 31. 33cm would be 30. 83cm 31. 83cm. Percentage error I will take the maximum result of the range and calculate the percentage error based on the uncertainty values. % error of range, x, 93. 33cm i 0. 5cm 0. 5cm i 93. 33cm x 100% = 0. 53% The values are vastly small and so are not worth considering. Improvements If this investigation were to be repeated, there are a few things I would like to change. Firstly, I would ensure to take more care that the above factors were fully compramised and minimised. Furthermore, I would take a much larger range of results to provide a more reliable end result, taking fairness of the experiment into account much more seriously. Finally, I would use a much more accurate range of apparatus to get the most accuracy in my results. For example, a specialised light gate can be set up at the end of the ramp to dictate the exact speed at which the ball leaves the ramp. This could then be considered with the mass to calculate the kinetic energy and gravitational potential energy and hence the total energy loss. Bibliography Salters Horners Advanced Physics Various web pages for research.

Importance of Informed Consent in Client Decision-making

Importance of Informed Consent in Client Decision-making Informed consent is not only a basic right of all clients, but it also helps to protect the clients privacy and can be utilized to empower them to make their own educated decisions about aspects of their own therapy. Ideally, the goal of the practice of informed consent is to provide patients with the most relevant and accurate information regarding their own treatment, so that they can decide for themselves to become involved and willing participants in their own therapy sessions. One of the best methods for instituting informed consent practices is to establish a protocol for enabling clients to make their own educated decisions. It is important to note that the practice of informed consent carries with it a number of legal implications as well, primarily due to the fact that its purpose is to protect the rights and privacy of the client. From a legal standpoint, there are three aspects of informed consent that are of primary concern: the clients capacity for rational decision-making, the clients comprehension or understanding of the information, and the clients voluntariness, which ensures that decisions made by the client are of their own free will. For the therapist, informed consent governs many aspects of administrative duties as well, such as confidentiality, record-keeping and maintenance, and the transfer and disclosure of client files. While these aspects are more clearly defined in terms of what therapists can and cannot do, therapists are also left with the additional task of ensuring that all clients are properly educated and informed about procedures and the legal implications and also that each individual client has the ability to comprehend such information and make decisions regarding their own treatment. It is this aspect of informed consent that often lacks such clearly defined rules and is often a matter of judgment on the part of the therapist. Adequate informed consent is becoming increasingly important for todays mental health professionals, as more and more people are seeking individual or marital counseling as a means of improving aspects of their own lives or relationships. In all aspects of healthcare, the appropriate procedures for obtaining adequate informed consent are still debatable. Because therapists have the unique opportunity to be able to work with clients in order to improve decision-making skills, this process is even more important. The goal is not to steer clients in any one direction or another, but rather provide each client with all of the information in a manner which they understand, be able to answer questions regarding the policies, and enable each client to make their own educated decision about what is best for them and their particular situation. Informed consent for therapists is often more difficult when faced with clients who may be in danger, under psychological distress, or faced with a domestic violence situation. Often, these clients may lack the ability to make rational decisions or may be fearful of participating in their own therapy due to the risk of confidentiality breaches and concern for their own personal safety. In this instance, it is often the therapists responsibility to not only offer additional reassurance regarding confidentiality, but also accurately represent the legal implications of informed consent and if and when records may be disclosed, along with what kind of information can be shared and under what circumstances. In addition, when there is a great deal of psychological distress present, it may be necessary to reiterate policies at a time when clients are more stable, and also take greater measures to enable the clients to adequately make their own decisions. In cases where a client lacks the capacity to make informed decisions on their own, due to age or disability, a parent or guardian may be necessary in order to provide adequate protection of the clients rights and sign legal documents. In terms of comprehension of the information provided, therapists should frequently have question and answer sessions with the client regarding the goals of treatment, client participation, availability of other services, expectations, and any risks involved. Clear communication and guidelines are the best way to ensure that a client adequately understands not only the purpose of treatment but their roles and responsibilities as well. Informed consent procedures for therapy can be seen as more than just legal practices. The continuously evolving methods of ensuring informed consent for clients also further enable and empower clients to educate themselves, take an active role in ensuring their own well-being, and learn to make more choices regarding their own personal care.